Randy Rainbow

Randy Stewart Rainbow (born July 6, 1981) is an American comedian and singer, best known for videos published on YouTube, in which he spoofs interviews with famous figures and parodies musical numbers with a political focus.[1][2]

Randy Rainbow
Born (1981-07-06) July 6, 1981
Plantation, Florida, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Years active2010 - present
Notable work
Interview spoofs and song parodies
Home townNew York, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Websiterandyrainbow.com

Early life

Randy Rainbow was born to a Jewish family in Plantation, Florida. He grew up in Commack, Long Island, New York, and Plantation, where his father, Gerry Rainbow (né Ribner),[3][4][5] was a musician and talent booker.[6] He credits his grandmother as his greatest comedic influence. In a 2017 interview with The New York Times, he recalled "It was really my grandmother who was the biggest influence because she’d talk back to the celebrities and politicians on TV. She was a combination of Joan Rivers, Elaine Stritch, Betty White, and Bea Arthur rolled into one". After dropping out of community college in his early 20s, Rainbow moved to New York to pursue a theatrical career. It was then he began blogging and making comedic videos.[1]

Rainbow is gay.[7]

Career

Blog

Rainbow created his blog, The Randy Rainbow Bloggity BLAHg-BLAHg, to document his theatrical experiences and "kvetch about my day-to-day as a single homo in the city."[8][9]

Celebrity videos

In his early work, Rainbow stages fake phone conversations with famous people by editing real audio clips of those celebrities. He posted his breakout video, "Randy Rainbow is Dating Mel Gibson" in 2010. It received more than 60,000 views in one week and has since surpassed 170,000 views. Subsequent videos include "Randy Rainbow Calls Lindsay Lohan", "Randy Rainbow Calls Dr. Laura", "The Morning After Chelsea’s Wedding", "Randy Rainbow Gets a Job (from Rachel Zoe?)", "Randy Rainbow Kicks It with Kanye West", and "Randy Rainbow Spends Christmas with Mel Gibson". Michael Urie appeared as himself in "Randy Rainbow Getting Married?" Tituss Burgess appeared as himself in "Randy Rainbow Stars in a Show!" Brent Corrigan appeared as himself in "Randy Rainbow Makes a Sex Tape (w/Mel Gibson)". Randy's cat, Mushi Rainbow, also plays a prominent role in his videos.[10]

Rainbow's videos have been featured on a number of blogs. Popular LGBT blogs Towleroad and Queerty have reposted many of his videos since "Randy Rainbow is Dating Mel Gibson".[11][12] His Lohan clip was featured by Perez Hilton.[13] Rainbow made a guest appearance in Tituss and the Tightass Band, a 2010 benefit concert for The Trevor Project at New World Stages.[14] He also made a guest appearance in the third annual Living for Today benefit concert at the Laurie Beechman Theatre.[15] Rainbow appeared on the cover of Out Front Colorado.[16]

Political videos

Rainbow gained a larger audience and shifted focus during the 2016 American presidential campaign, with a series of spoof interviews and musical parodies skewering the election process and the candidates, especially Donald Trump, who became Rainbow's primary subject following his nomination by the Republican party and subsequent election. Among the musical parodies he has done about Trump and his administration are "You're Making Things Up Again, Donald" (based on "Making Things Up Again" from The Book of Mormon), "Unpopular" (based on "Popular" from Wicked), "Fact Checker, Fact Checker" (based on "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" from Fiddler on the Roof), "There Is Nothing Like a Wall" (based on "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" from South Pacific), "The Donald Trump Cell Block Tango" (based on "Cell Block Tango" from the musical Chicago), "Suckers" (parody of "Sucker" by the Jonas Brothers), "Cheeto Christ Stupid-Czar" (based on "Superstar" from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar), "No Rules For Donald" (parody of "New Rules" by Dua Lipa), "The Coronavirus Lament" (based on "Adelaide's Lament" from the musical Guys and Dolls), "A Spoonful of Clorox" (based on "A Spoonful of Sugar" from the film Mary Poppins),[17] "Distraction" (parody of "Tradition" from the musical Fiddler on the Roof), and "Gee, Anthony Fauci" (based on "Gee, Officer Krupke" from the musical West Side Story).

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
2016GOP DropoutRandy Rainbow6 episodes
2018RuPaul's Drag RaceSpecial GuestEpisode: Breastworld
2020Better ThingsAndrewEpisode: New Orleans
2020Take Me to the World:
A Stephen Sondheim 90th Celebration		Performer
(song: "By the Sea")		Television Special

Discography

On November 8, 2019, he released a Christmas EP called Hey Gurl, It's Christmas![18] It features seven tracks; the title track is an original song.

Awards and nominations

In 2019, Rainbow was nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award for Best Short Form Variety Series.[19] He was nominated again for the same award in 2020. [20]

References
  1. Morris, Bob (23 June 2017). "YouTube Star Randy Rainbow Brings Sass to His Trump Bashing". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  2. "Randy Rainbow Has Built A Viral-Video Empire From His Queens Apartment". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  3. "Gerald (Gerry) Rainbow, Class of 1953 - Monroe High School - Classmates". www.classmates.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  4. "Obituaries - Levitt Weinstein Memorial Chapels & Cemeteries". www.levitt-weinstein.com. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  5. "Gerald Ribner". Obituaries. tributes.com. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  6. "In an Ugly Election Year, Randy Rainbow Uses Musical Parody to Bring on the Laughs". Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  7. "Randy Rainbow Is the Gay Jewish Crooner of the Christmas Season". www.advocate.com. December 13, 2019.
  8. Voss, Brandon (2010-07-26). "Mel Gibsons Rainbow Connection". Advocate.com. Archived from the original on 2011-12-14. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  9. "RandyRainbow.com". Therandyrainbowblahg.blogspot.com. 2013-03-20. Archived from the original on 2011-02-07. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  10. "Randy Rainbow". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2014-05-23. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  11. Mandell, Sean (20 July 2016). "Randy Rainbow Spells It Out: 'We Got Trump Trouble, America'". Towleroad. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  12. "Randy Rainbow News and Photos". Queerty. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  13. "ICYMI: Will & Grace Cast Sparked Even More Reunion Rumors With This Broadway-Style Hillary Clinton Support Song!". Perez Hilton. 1 November 2016. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  14. Hetrick, Adam (30 October 2010). "Tituss Burgess Performs Trevor Project Benefit Concert Oct. 30". Playbill. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  15. Hetrick, Adam (22 October 2010). "Jill Paice and Kate Jennings Grant Added to Living for Today Concert". Playbill. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  16. Compton, Julie (13 October 2016). "Comedian Randy Rainbow brings humor to tense election year". NBC News. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  17. Papenfuss, Mary (April 25, 2020). "'A Spoonful Of Clorox': Randy Rainbow Channels Mary Poppins In Anti-Trump Parody". Huffington Post.
  18. "Randy Rainbow — Recordings". Randy Rainbow. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  19. "Emmys 2019: List of Nominations". Variety. 16 July 2019. Archived from the original on 18 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  20. "72nd Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners". Emmys.com. Emmy's. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
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